Morning Espresso: Loretta’s Area Qualifier, Damn Whoops, Injury Updates and More

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Slaw is out this week looking for Mud Dolphin. Everyone thinks Muddy is probably on some tropical island basking in the sun, but I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that he’s on a shrimp boat down off the Gulf somewhere trying to make enough money to raise is 36 calves.

So you got me, and in true Morning Espresso spirit, I slammed four cups of hot java down my throat before writing this and now I’m sweating out of my fingernails. It’s a unique experience but those were Slaw’s instructions.

Now onto all things moto you need to know before you start your miserable weekday lives just drooling at the thought of another rad weekend on the horizon.

Arizona Cycle Park Hosts Southwest Area Qualifier

Amateur season is in the air and we’re beyond stoked to kick off Amateur Month here on Vurb. While we weren’t in attendance in Arizona, we will be making the trek to the RC Amateur SX in Daytona, then heading to our Dirtbikes are Dope Shred Tour at Mill Creek in Alabama on March 13-14, then over to Texas for the Spring a ding ding natty and the, the highlight of them all, the James Stewart Freestone Spring Championship.

We had eyes on the ground in Arizona and the usual west coast assassins were laying it down. Some notable finishes included Ryder DiFrancesco sweeping the 250 B, 450 B and Schoolboy classes, Chance Hymas doing the same in Open Pro Sport and 250 Pro Sport and Max Shane putting in an equally perfect weekend in the 85cc (10-12) classes.

While Arizona kicked off qualifying season in the desert, March will have plenty more to offer and we plan on attending as many as possible in order to bring you unrivaled amateur coverage on the road to Loretta’s. Click here for a full list of results.

F*%k Those Whoops

We texted, checked his Twitter, IG, FB, Snap, TicTok, Buzzfeed, his personal website and NOTHING from AC after the gutting hit he took in the whoops at O2. Yes, the same whoops that claimed at least six riders throughout the night took AC out of a very quiet, but equally impressive fourth place spot in the championship. The fact that he hasn’t posted an update on his health has us worried that it may not be good. We’re not going to make any more assumptions, but hopefully the two week break heading into Daytona will give him some time to rebound.

Neither of the Martin brothers have posted anything regarding their status after going down on the first lap of the main either, but we were able to grab this quote from their mom, Greta.

“Today, the boys’ mother, Greta Martin, put out a brief update on how her boys are doing. “Thank you to all who reached out with prayers, concern & positive thoughts for both Alex & Jeremy,” Greta said on Facebook. “Last night was like watching the C class go through the whoops. Alex saw Tweety birds & is very sore after getting run over. He’s getting further concussion testing to make sure all is well. Jeremy’s shoulder is now back in place. MRI test coming soon for him. Again much thanks to all of you for the support. Our Moto families, friends & fans are the best. Both boys & their Teams will share updates.”

Again, hopefully we get some good news on all fronts as the week progresses. Thoughts and prayers for the Martin family.

Jordon Smith Hopeful for Daytona

Smith came into the season with a thumb injury. According to a recent IG post he, “just wanted to come into the first round and be smart and build through the season. The whole day was going great until the strength in my thumb made my hand slip off going through the whoops. I’m bruised up but I’m going to go back and heal up and be ready for Daytona.”

Smith has been dealing with a variety of injuries as of late, namely the knee injury he suffered last year. He’s got championship speed and is on a championship team, but his time if the 250 class is running thin as the injuries continue to mount for the likable kid from NC.

Have Fun Watching Basketball

While the riders are getting thrashed and are in need of the looming two week break before Daytona, the fans are going to be left watching Gonzaga play Who Cares State for the next 14 days. I get it, the riders have been through eight main event gate drops in a three week span, but I want more! I need more. Lucky for us fans we’ll get it with Arlington and Hotlanta dropping three gates in a week following Daytona.

Daytona Will be the Most Important Race of the Season

We’re considering writing a full story on this, but I’ll give you a sneak peek into the big brains that make up Vurb with a little snippet first. Cooper just mentally ruined everyone during the two run sprint through Orlando. RUINED! And until proven otherwise, Webb is capable of winning championships based on his mental prowess alone. He lurks like the boogie man until your parents shut off the lights and then haunts your dreams.

It’s a two man race as far as we’re concerned, and Ken needs desperately to not let Coop close the gap in Daytona. Not to mention, with Atlanta resembling an outdoor style supercross track this year, whomever performs better in Daytona may have the leg up by the time they make it back down south. It’s a massive round in terms of determining the 2021 champion and we can’t stress that enough.

The Vault – 2016 RC Amateur SX GoPro ft. Matthew Leblanc

With the RC Amateur Supercross set to kick off the Amateur season, we sifted through the archives for something to stoke up the groms as they put in their final prep. Matthew LeBlanc is one of the premier A Class contenders heading into 2021, but we caught him back in 2016 as he decimated the 65 (10-11) class. In this video, LeBlanc managed to forget his goggles and decides to throw down anyways. What a baller!

Written by Bird Dog

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